So let the sun shine in/face it with a grin/smilers never lose/and you get to freak out the neighbours
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 8:08PM My mother asked me this past weekend if I’d like any houseplants. I politely declined, because despite my ability to grow a mean garden, greenery does not fare well within my humble abode. Apparently, my capacity for keeping things alive inside the house only has three available openings. Pre-child, this was:
1) Alfred
2) Dog
3) Houseplants.
Now that my son is around, the plants have been bumped off the list:
1) Child
2) Alfred
3) Dog.
Incidentally, the dog is really glad that we’re apparently unable to have any more kids.
My mother’s response when I told her I had trouble keeping houseplants alive was, “Well, it is pretty dark in your house”. Which made me stop and think, because actually, it isn’t all that dark in my house. It’s KEPT quite dark, because due to Alfred’s shift work and my the kid’s nap schedule there seems to be someone trying to sleep at any given moment. But the house itself can be airy and bright, given the opportunity. I’m just too lazy to be opening and closing the blinds all the damn time.
So, as attractive as my chocolate brown brocade drapes are*, I came home and made an elaborate show of swooshing them back and letting the sun shine in.
I realized two things:
1) Holy shit, it’s spring.
2) My windows are probably half the reason it’s dark in here. There is a blur of dog-snot trails across the bottom 2 feet of glass.
We enjoyed our 5 minutes in the sun. Then it was grey and snowed for 3 days.
Fucking spring.
*Actually more attractive than that makes them sound, thankyouverymuch.
Reader Comments (30)
That little patch of sunshine reminds me of my habit of sitting in the little patches when they peek through the windows. Recently my sister witnessed her daughters fighting over their little patch. What would the world be like if we had our own constant patch of sun to bask in?
Sun????What is that???? Oh yah almost forgot this weather has been so crazy
Snow?!? This is unacceptable, you really must complain to the proper authorities.
I have three live houseplants within my domicile right now. Only one of them is going to make it, I think. I keep getting more because I think they make the air healthier or something. Like I've got a full size Douglas fir in here.
It's been snowing here again, too. *sigh* And my front window is always dog-snotted and little-kid-handprinted. I think it adds to the charm of the house... or at least that's what I tell myself after I windex the crap out of it and it's messy again before I can even put the cleaner away.
We just got a foot of snow today too. When the hell is spring really coming?! Oh, and I'm happy to hear it's not just me with dirty windows.
I can't agree with you more our Spring has sucked with a capital S.
I don't miss having dogs. Getting dog snot off of glass, or the couch is damn hard.
Nice hardwoods!
Life in the frozen tundra.
Yes! Spring is like that!! We had several warm and sunny days and then snow and freezing...sheesh!! Let it be spring/summer already. Not spring/winter!!! Yuck!
Don't remind me about cleaning windows...I am sure I can find someone to do them...namely not me!!!!!!!
Hugging you
SueAnn
We had one day of summer (it was too warm to call it spring) and then three days of snow too! I am the worst when it comes to plants. I have one in my office that I killed. I really have to throw it out, but I am so bad that I just keep the dead plant there.... My team has bets going on when / if I will ever remove it.
Laughing because all of my windows are smeared with cat and dog snot and kid hand prints. I think if I cleaned them I would be blinded...
All this because of a damn houseplant! Had this not happened you'd of been totally fine behind your chocolate drapes, in the dark, enjoying spring or lack there of!!
I can barely keep the sentient beings in my house alive... plants don't stand a chance.
I remember spring. It's that time right before summer, isn't it? All we get here in FL is summer, fall, and summer again. Which doesn't explain why I can't keep houseplants alive. Hmmm....
WE joke that we have three seasons here--winter, bad sledding and mosquitoes. Nick is in charge of the plants in the house. I never remember to water the stupid things. Most would commit suicide or slowly die of dehydration. Better if I'm not involved.
F@#ing snow. LG pulled up his shade this morning and exclaimed, "Snow! Not again!" You know there's been too much when a 3 year old complains.
As for the snot trails, uhm, hell, we have those too. Ours are from cats, though. No less snotty. How do they manage to get every window in the damn house, I want to know?
Opening the curtains also highlights dust bunnies. We open our curtains at night.
We got snow too. After the freezing rain. It was fun. Not. I sucker-punched Mother Nature in the nose. It was very satisfying.
I always keep my blinds shut. But, they are the cheap vertical blinds and some of the slats are missing so it's not that dark. I just don't like sunlight very much. I like it to be dark. Plus, if it's dark, you can't tell I haven't vacuumed in forever.
I wish I had more windows in my house. And closet space. I need about twice the closet space I have now.
I've been plotting my garden that I can do with the kids and I have no idea why. It will die instantly, the way your house plants probably do. Wait, aren't you getting trained to be a master gardener or some shit?
We open and close the blinds and curtains in about ten different windows a day. I wonder how much of my life I would get back if I just gave up that practice.....
I love Spring sunshine, until its light starts showing me just how disgusting my house has become in the dark of winter when you can pretend like you don't see it.
Ahhh! The sun! It BURNS! I'm gonna close the drapes, and go back to napping. Carry on.
I've always had trouble with windows... good to see i'm not the only one. ;D
I deliberately put up sheer curtains in our living room so that we would actually take advantage of all the light coming in through the big window. It has turned out to mean that we just never close them, and since it looks out on the street I'm waiting for one of the neighbors to come and politely (or not) point out that they can see me when I'm changing my pants from the giant laundry pile we usually have in there.
I keep my house pretty dark as well. And then, when I have to leave during the day I'm all 'bright light bright light' like a gremlin.
Bwahahaha we've given up on clean windows with 5 dogs and Ian- no one wants to wipe up the snot and I can't afford merry maids- if I could they would not be so merry, that's for sure. ;)